


Meet me under the mistletoe

by HopeSilverheart



Series: Shadowhunter Advent Calendar [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec is a great wingman, Alternate Universe - Human, Baseball, Christmas, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Girls in Love, Lydia Branwell & Alec Lightwood Friendship, Malec Discord Server, Meet-Cute, To cover up the gayness, kiss-cam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27845077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeSilverheart/pseuds/HopeSilverheart
Summary: “Oh god, never say that again,” Lydia mock-gagged. “And don’t mention kissing me when during half-time, you’re going to jinx us and then we’re going to have to-”“And here’s our next lucky couple!” The announcement caught Lydia’s attention before she could finish her sentence and she felt herself pale dramatically as her eyes landed on the kiss-cam, perfectly zoomed onto Alec and her. “What do you say, love birds, fancy a kiss underneath the mistletoe?”Or: A tale of bad luck, mistletoe, and Catarina as a knight in shining armour.
Relationships: Lydia Branwell & Alec Lightwood, Lydia Branwell/Catarina Loss
Series: Shadowhunter Advent Calendar [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2038237
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	Meet me under the mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> Created for the [Malec Discord Server](discord.gg/GY8jT4x) Advent Calendar event. December 2nd prompt: Mistletoe.

If there was one thing Lydia loved about faking a relationship with Alec for their parents’ sake, it was the amazing dates they got out of the deal.

She wasn’t sure _how_ the Lightwoods had obtained VIP tickets for a Yankees’ game, but she wasn’t about to complain. All Alec had had to do was mention how much Lydia loved baseball and his parents had handed the tickets over like they weren’t worth hundreds of dollars each. 

So as much as she hated having to pretend to date Alec to cover his secret gay love affair and her own preference for women, she had to admit it wasn’t all bad. At least not when their parents decided to spoil them with ‘couple gifts’ in an attempt to strengthen their relationship and ensure a marriage between the two of them. 

(Lydia would never admit it, but the increasingly extravagant presents were the main reason why she was still keeping up the charade.)

“You know, I’ve never actually been to a game before,” Alec said out of nowhere as half-time rolled around. “My parents always said I wouldn’t enjoy it and Izzy backed their statement, so I figured it was one of those things I just wouldn’t like.”

“And Magnus didn’t try to change your mind about that?” Lydia’s eyebrows flew up. She didn’t know Alec’s lover as much as she wanted to, but they’d had a few conversations about the Yankees and she found it hard to believe that he hadn’t already tried to plan a baseball game date with Alec.

“He did,” Alec shrugged sheepishly. “But I think he was also convinced I wouldn’t have a nice time, because he changed his mind pretty quickly. The only reason I’m even here is because of how excited you seemed to be about this game.”

“Of course I’m excited! The Yankees are my favourite team and these are _VIP seats_!” Lydia exclaimed, gesturing at the field in front of them emphatically. “Sometimes, I wonder how we’re even friends.”

“Pure obligation on my part,” Alec smirked, chuckling when Lydia slapped his arm playfully. “And the need for a fake girlfriend, of course.”

“Ah yes, now I remember,” Lydia hummed in agreement. “I certainly didn’t plan on keeping this friendship up after we dropped the charade. I hope you won’t be too heartbroken; I know you’ve always been a little more attached than me.”

“Very funny, Branwell,” Alec rolled his eyes, his face scrunching up in vague disgust as his eyes landed on something in the distance. “Oh god, they made the kiss-cam holiday themed.”

Intrigued, Lydia turned her gaze toward the game screens and felt an amused smile tug at her lips as she spotted the pictures of mistletoe framing the kiss-cam. She’s never been the biggest fan of the short romantic breaks during games, but she _was_ a fan of Christmas, and anything related to it never failed to make her smile. 

“You’re such a sap,” Alec groaned, jolting her out of her thoughts. “Seriously, all it takes is one mention of Christmas and you get the dopiest look on your face. I get that the holidays are magical, but there’s no need for _that much_ enthusiasm.”

“On the contrary,” Lydia grinned. “That way I get rid of all my happiness during the winter season and can go right back to scaring the interns as soon as mid-January hits. It’s the best way to keep them on their toes. I make all of them believe I’ve changed and let the spirit of Christmas turn me into a bundle of joy, and then I remind them that all good moods are temporary and should never be trusted. Not in our field, at least.”

“Brutal,” Alec grimaced. “Thank god we were interns at the same time. You would have terrified the hell out of me.”

“That’s the goal, Lightwood,” Lydia pointed out, catching a glimpse of a happy couple making out a little too intensely from the corner of her eye. “Some people really need to get a room.”

“They’re just feeling very festive, I’m sure,” Alec teased, raising his eyebrows at her. “Here I thought you were all about the Christmas season. Does it really only take a kiss to change your mind? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jealous. Do you need me to kiss it better, darling?”

“Oh god, never say that again,” Lydia mock-gagged. “And don’t mention kissing me when during half-time, you’re going to jinx us and then we’re going to have to-”

“ _And here’s our next lucky couple!”_ The announcement caught Lydia’s attention before she could finish her sentence and she felt herself pale dramatically as her eyes landed on the kiss-cam, perfectly zoomed onto Alec and her. “ _What do you say, love birds, fancy a kiss underneath the mistletoe_?”

Lydia gulped, hoping she didn’t look half as disgusted on camera as she felt on the inside. One of the many rules she and Alec had put in place when they’d started their fake relationship was a strict no-touching policy, and kisses _definitely_ fit into that category. They barely even held hands in front of their parents, and that was already more than enough for Lydia. 

“You fucking jinxed it,” she hissed under her breath, plastering a smile onto her face as the came stubbornly remained in place. “ _Now_ what are we going to do? Because unless your dashing beau comes to our rescue by appearing next to you and making out with you very publicly, I don’t really know how we’re supposed to get out of this with dignity.”

“Surely they move on if the pair doesn’t do anything,” Alec frowned. “What happens if the cam lands on siblings?”

“Doesn’t happen half as often as you might think,” Lydia answered. “And it does move on, but I don’t want the entire stadium to think I’m a coward.”

“Oh my _god_ , you and your stupid pride,” Alec muttered, sending her a disbelieving glare. “I may have jinxed us, but I’m not so prideful as to ignore our perfectly crafted rules for the sake of a kiss-cam.”

“ _Come on now, doesn’t a kiss under the mistletoe sound romantic?”_ The announcer continued, earning cheers from what felt like the entire crowd. 

Before Lydia could truly panic and ruin everything with Alec, she felt a gentle tapping on her shoulder and promptly lost her breath as she turned to stare at the neighbour to her left. She wasn’t even sure when the woman had gotten there, because she definitely hadn’t been around during the first half of the game. 

Lydia would have remembered a face as beautiful as hers. Hell, she probably wouldn’t have followed a single minute of the match if she’d known there was an angel sitting right next to her. 

“Feel free to refuse my offer, but you look like a deer caught in headlights and I could never forgive myself if I let you go through with something you’re clearly not comfortable doing,” the woman started, tilting her head in Alec’s direction. “Would a kiss from me be any better?”

“Absolutely,” Lydia blurted out, blushing brightly as the woman laughed delightedly. “I mean, it would be a shame not to take advantage of the mistletoe. Isn’t there some kind of curse that lands upon those who dare ignore mistletoe when it’s all but ordering them to kiss?”

“I certainly don’t want to test that theory,” the woman answered, her gaze softening as she cupped Lydia’s cheek and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, stealing Lydia’s breath away with a single touch. 

Around them, the crowd cheered and clapped as the announcer said something - undoubtedly ridiculous - before letting the cam move onto someone else. Not that Lydia noticed when it happened, too caught up in her savior’s dark eyes to focus on anything else. 

“Wow,” she whispered. “I mean, thanks. Thank you for that, for- For saving me from kissing my very gay best friend, I guess.”

“Anytime,” the woman chuckled. “It’s always a pleasure to help out fellow queers in need. Besides, my intentions were hardly selfless. I saw a pretty girl on the kiss-cam and thought it would be a shame to miss out on such a golden opportunity, especially given how discomfited you looked at the thought of kissing that lovely young man.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure his boyfriend would forgive me,” Lydia grimaced. “And I’m glad you decided to act on your selfish intentions.”

“So am I,” the woman replied. “I’m Catarina, by the way.”

“Lydia,” the blonde breathed out.

“Any chance this seat is free?” Catarina asked, gesturing at the chair she’d already claimed for herself.

“For you? Absolutely,” Lydia answered without hesitation, subtly kicking Alec in the shins as he burst into laughter before smiling back at Catarina.

When he excused himself ten minutes after the cam incident, however, Lydia told herself she’d have to apologise later and thank him for his sudden disappearance. No matter how good a fake boyfriend he was, Lydia had to admit that having a real date - or something of the sort - by her side was far better.

**Author's Note:**

> Heya guys! Thank you so much for reading! I couldn't get Lydia and Catarina out of my mind as I was thinking of an idea for this second fic, so I hope you all enjoyed this slightly rarer pairing.
> 
> Love, Junie.
> 
> (find me on [tumblr](https://hopesilverheart.tumblr.com/))


End file.
